Gezicht over de Lek op Ameide, het Huis Herlaer en Tienhoven 1745

Jan de Beijer made this delicate drawing of the Lek river, near Ameide, using pen and brown ink, and brush in gray. The drawing’s relatively small size suggests it was made on site – a kind of visual note. De Beijer was known for his topographical drawings, and here the light touch of the pen creates a sense of atmosphere, capturing the sky in all its immensity. Look closely at the way the ink is used, almost like watercolor. The scene isn’t just recorded, it’s made to feel alive. De Beijer produced many such landscapes, and we can imagine him traveling around the Netherlands, finding just the right vantage point to capture these river views. In that sense, even a drawing like this can be understood in relation to the rise of a certain kind of tourism, where the experience of place is as important as the information it conveys. We should appreciate it not just as a record, but as an experience in itself.